Man Who Prompted Lockdown At University Of New Haven Arraigned On Weapons Charges

MILFORD — The armed Fairfield man who prompted a lockdown Tuesday at the University of New Haven and other area schools had 2,700 rounds of ammunition in his padlocked bedroom, along with newspaper clippings about the July 2012 shooting at a theater in Aurora, Colo., a prosecutor said Wednesday.

William Dong, 22, was arraigned Wednesday at Superior Court in Milford on a variety of charges, including illegal possession of an assault weapon.

Police described that weapon as a "Bushmaster .223 Assault Rifle with a collapsible stock," and said that it was banned under state law. A loaded 30-round magazine was in the rifle, police said.

Police said that the assault weapon was in Dong's car and that Dong was carrying two handguns when officers found him on the university campus.

As far as his reason for being there, police "are working to determine what the intent was here," said Kevin Lawlor, the state's attorney for the Ansonia-Milford Judicial District.

Superior Court Judge Frank Iannotti set bail at $500,000 and ordered mental health and medical watches for Dong, a commuter student at the University of New Haven. If Dong posts bail, he will be subject to 24-hour monitoring and must surrender his passport. He is scheduled to return to court Dec. 17.

Several friends and relatives of Dong were in court, but they left the courthouse without commenting.

Lawlor said that police found the ammunition and newspaper articles during a search of Dong's home. Although Dong's mother allowed police to do a quick sweep of the family's Fairfield home, police later obtained a warrant to search more thoroughly.

Dong also was charged with illegal transport of an assault weapon, illegal possession of a weapon in a motor vehicle and breach of peace. He could face additional charges as the police investigation continues, Lawlor said.

"We'll wait and see what the investigation reveals," Lawlor said.

The question not answered in a police report released after Dong's arraignment or in Lawlor's comments is why Dong was on campus with two handguns, as police allege. Dong, who has no criminal record, spoke with investigators, but what he said was not included in the report.

The incident began Tuesday when a person parked in a shopping center parking lot in West Haven saw Dong park his family's blue 2010 Toyota Rav 4 and get out. While a door was open, the witness told police, the stock of a rifle was visible. The witness said that Dong then ran off toward the campus. The witness called police, who arrived and saw loaded magazines for the rifle in the car.

Police later determined that the rifle was an assault weapon.

The witness gave police a description of Dong, and officers found him later on the UNH campus. He was carrying two handguns, a Glock 9mm and a Glock .40-caliber, one "on his person" and the other in a computer bag, police said. He was arrested without incident.

Lawlor praised the response by police. "You can't overreact," he said. "Whether or not a tragedy was avoided, we'll leave that for another day."

The .40-caliber pistol had 15 rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber. The 9mm pistol had 10 rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber.

The four rifle magazines in the car were at or near their 30-round capacity, police said. Police also found three Glock magazines in the car, one with 22 rounds and two with 15 rounds. Fairfield police said that Dong had a state pistol permit.

Tuesday's incident at UNH was the third time in a month that a Connecticut university campus was locked down after a report of a gunman on campus. And again, local and state police and federal agents flooded the area to search for the gunman and then to check the campus to make sure that there were no additional threats.